Rick Astley admits he and Blossoms "probably shouldn't" perform The Smiths songs.

The 'Never Gonna Give You Up' hitmaker and the Stockport indie band took their covers supergroup all the way to Glastonbury last year, and while the 80s pop veteran admits it's a bit "weird", they only did it because they are major fans of the Manchester legends' music.

He told Fearne Cotton's 'Happy Place' podcast: "Obviously I know that Smiths thing was a bit weird and it's probably something we shouldn't do, on the one hand, nobody should touch it, but I also think we are not doing it from any sense other than we just love those tunes.

"We got into a conversation about it ... I've had a few alternate universes in my life where I've sort of thought, I'd really love to just do that. And it's not a career move. I just want to do it.

"And one of them has always been to sing Smiths songs. I was a bit of a Smiths freak when I was a kid, and one of my older brothers was and he kind of introduced me to them."

Rick, 58, would have happily played pubs but was blown away by the reaction to their gigs.

He said: "Because they are Blossoms, and we've got some lovely people around us, we get to do it on proper stages, rather than doing it in the pub.

"I would do it in the pub, I would genuinely do it in the pub."